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Crump Expressway

Stewardship- We can tell that our members are being thoughtful about their pledges to the 2018 budget this year. Yes, we have miles to go before we have made our budget. As we went to press, we are not yet at the half-way mark, but many households are increasing their gifts from previous years and many, of course, are renewing. As you have heard from our church leaders, this is our catch-up year for meeting the UUA Fair Compensation guidelines for staff. Bring your pledge card to church, mail it in, or go online. Give generously. Click here to view compensation guidelines for a congregation like ours, Region II, Midsize III congregation.

Got Questions? During November, submit your questions for the ministers to answer during the services for Q & A Sunday on November 26. Stump the ministers? Please, no. Cleverness and creativity can be rewarded in other venues. We're looking for what's on your minds and hearts. Drop us a note or drop a question into the box at church. If we get questions early, we can think about them all month long.

Imagine a Conversation Between the First & Second Amendments

First Amendment: Guns, guns, guns, guns. When will we have enough guns? Second Amendment: There you go again, politicizing. 1st: I have a right to ask, especially in light of so manycasualties.

2nd: And I have a right to bear. The Supreme Court said I do. And besides, we should all extend our thoughts and prayers to the families.

1st: Thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers. Americans are very good at extending thoughts andprayers. But prayer is not a substitute for public policy.

2nd: There are a lot of crazy people out there. 1st: And apparently a lot of normal guys with tons of guns.

2nd: I knew it, you want to take away our right to bear arms.

1st: No, just the armor piercers, the automatics,and semi-automatics.

2nd: Don't call law-abiding citizens mass murderers.

1st: Explain again the reason Americans have armed themselves with more than 300 million firearms, far in excess of any developed country.

1st: I believe in guardrails on slippery mountain slopes. I also believe in seat belts. And yet, there is no Association for the Abolition of Seatbelts. So, back to my original question: When will we have enough guns?

Dare we mention the Flood of 2016? We must. Holley Galland Haymaker, Chair of the Board of Trustees and President of the Congregation, and I recently sent a letter to all church member households whom we know were affected by a loss resulting from the floods of last year. We included a second cash gift in each letter. If we missed a member household, please do contact me. Each gift is the same amount to each household. We attempted to make no distinction between kinds of losses.

We are pleased to report that the funds came from Unitarian Universalists nearby and from far away. Several individuals and families in our congregation generously contributed to the fund. Plus, UU congregations outside our region took up cash offerings during Sunday worship and sent their offerings to our church.